Berk’s Beans Brazilian Espresso Blend green coffee beans are our Brazil forward take on a shop espresso, sold raw for home roasters. Where our standard espresso blend chases balance, this one leans hard into nut and cocoa and keeps the acidity way down. It is the easiest of our blends to roast well on the first try.

It ships unroasted in 1 lb, 3 lb and 5 lb bags out of our Concord, CA roastery. Raw beans, no heat applied. Brazilian Espresso is the roast style the blend was assembled for, not a roast we already put on it.

What the Brazilian Espresso Blend Tastes Like

Brazil is the workhorse of the espresso world for a reason. Coffees from there tend to be low in acid, high in body, and heavy on roasted nut and chocolate, which is exactly what you want holding down the base of a shot. This blend puts that character up front instead of hiding it behind a bright component.

The practical upside is forgiveness. Berk’s Beans Brazilian Espresso Blend green coffee beans have a wide window where they taste good, so a roast that runs thirty seconds long or a grind that is slightly off will not wreck the cup. If you want more acidity and complexity in a shot, our Colombia Supremo makes a good component to blend in after roasting.

• Components: Brazil forward multi origin green blend, lots rotate by season
• Altitude: varies by lot, Brazilian regions generally sit lower than East African ones
• Process: mixed, with natural and pulped natural lots common in the Brazilian portion
• Cup notes: built to land on peanut, milk chocolate and caramel
• Body: full and soft, low acidity
• Best for: espresso, milk drinks, beginner roasters

How to Roast Berk’s Beans Brazilian Espresso Blend Green Coffee Beans

Brazilian coffee is softer and lower in density than high grown African or Central American beans, so it takes heat faster and browns sooner. Back your charge temperature off a little from whatever you use for a dense washed coffee. Three levels worth trying:

1. Full City, the sweet spot. Drop right at the leading edge of second crack. Peanut and milk chocolate are loudest here, the body is soft and thick, and the finish is clean. Start here.
2. City Plus, lighter than the target. Drop about a minute after first crack ends. You gain a little brown sugar sweetness and a hint of fruit, but low acid coffee roasted light can read flat and grainy rather than bright. Worth one batch to see if you like it.
3. Full City Plus, darker. Fifteen to twenty seconds into second crack. More bittersweet chocolate, more punch through milk. Because these beans are soft, they tip from dark to burnt faster than a dense bean would, so watch the color and be ready to dump early.

The home roasting FAQ covers first crack, second crack and what a stall looks like. For background on where most of this coffee comes from, Wikipedia has a detailed article on coffee production in Brazil.

Weight Loss and Yield

Expect to lose 15 to 18 percent of the green weight in the roaster. One pound of green yields roughly 13 to 13.5 oz of roasted coffee, and the darker you go the more you lose. Buying 3 lb of Berk’s Beans Brazilian Espresso Blend green coffee beans leaves you about 2 lb 8 oz roasted.

Storing Berk’s Beans Brazilian Espresso Blend Green Coffee Beans

Cool, dry, dark and breathable. A pantry shelf or closet works. Leave it in the bag it came in or move it to paper or burlap. Stored properly it stays good for a year and often longer, which is why buying 5 lb at a time makes sense.

Do not vacuum seal and do not freeze. Green coffee holds moisture and needs air exchange. Sealing it up or running it through freezer cycles pulls that moisture out of balance and leaves you with dull, papery cups no roast profile can fix.

Shipping and Local Pickup

Berk’s Beans Brazilian Espresso Blend green coffee beans leave our Concord, CA roastery within a business day. Local pickup is available in the East Bay, and you can combine this with anything else on the greens page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this already roasted?

No. It is green, raw and unroasted. The name describes the roast level and the brew method the blend was designed for. You roast it yourself before brewing.

How is this different from your standard espresso blend?

The standard blend is built for balance. This one is deliberately Brazil weighted, so it is nuttier, softer and lower in acid.

Is this a good first green coffee to learn on?

Yes. Softer Brazilian coffee browns evenly and has a wide window where it tastes good, so early mistakes are less punishing than they would be on a dense natural Ethiopian.

Will it work in drip or a French press?

It will. Roasted to Full City it makes a heavy, chocolatey press pot. It was built for espresso but does not fall apart elsewhere.

Do the components stay the same year to year?

The specific lots change with each harvest. We adjust proportions so Berk’s Beans Brazilian Espresso Blend green coffee beans taste the same season to season, even though the sourcing behind them moves.